Women are powerful beings—whether we’re the CEOs of companies, stay-at-home moms, elementary school teachers or anything else we please. Yes, we are an awesome breed.

But there are some famous ladies who stood up and stood out this year—for wanting to be heard, for not giving a damn what people think (even if what they said or did was an unpopular opinion). They held our attention in new, different and wonderful ways and truly inspired. Let’s honour them, shall we?

11 kick-ass women who refused to take your condescending crap in 2015

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J.K. Rowling

The writer rose to the ranks of Twitter goddess this year, using social media for good as she silenced haters and trolls, sent an awesome, heart-warming letter to a bullied fan, shut down Harry Potter fans who had crap to say about a black Hermione and put the Westboro Baptist Church in their place. Yeah, she's the best.Getty Images

Jennifer Lawrence

Her wage-gap letter had Hollywood and women everywhere cheering, because of its message and because she wrote it in her relatable J-Law way. There were so many stand-out lines, but our favourite? "I'm over trying to find the "adorable" way to state my opinion and still be likeable! F*ck that."Getty Images

Serena Williams

When asked why she wasn't smiling following her US Open win against sister Venus, Serena's chose to be unapologetic and frank. No guy would be asked to smile under the same circumstance, but, hey, at least he didn't ask her to twirl.Getty Images

Zendaya

She's only 19 but she balances her outspoken nature with pure class. When Giuliana Rancic commented that Z's dreadlocks looked like they smelled like weed, she had a most eloquent response, calling out the racist undertones and schooling Rancic on her ignorance.Getty Images

Amy Schumer

Schumer's acceptance speech for the Trailblazer Award at Glamour UK's Women of the Year Awards has become the stuff of legend: "I'm probably like 160 pounds right now and I can catch a dick whenever I want. Like, that's the truth. It's not a problem!" Preach.Getty Images

Angelina Jolie

In the Sony hack aftermath, producer Scott Rudin and then-exec Amy Pascal were constantly sh*t-talking Angie. Jolie said she didn't read the emails (they were awful but was worried for Pascal and had someone call to check on her. (Such a pro.) There was no way she was going to call Amy herself. Getty Images

Rowan Blanchard

She may be a young Disney gal, but instead of posting selfies, the 14-year-old uses Instagram to speak out on issues that are important to her, such as feminism, human rights and gun control. Oh, and she has zero interest in #squadgoals and would rather post about #BlackLivesMatter, thank you very much.Getty Images

Leah Remini

It takes guts to defy your powerful peers, especially if they include the likes of Tom Cruise. But it takes a special kind of brave to defy the entire Church of Scientology, which is exactly what Remini did when she released a tell-all book, Troublemaker: Surviving Scientology and Hollywood (Ballantine Books).Getty Images

Viola Davis

Davis' Emmy acceptance speech was exactly what Hollywood needed to hear. She didn't sugar-coat the inherent bias in the industry, stating, "The only thing that separates women of colour from anyone else is opportunity. You cannot win an Emmy for roles that are simply not there."Getty Images